ROCHELLE — Friday evening saw two teams in the Rochelle Hubs and the Morris Redskins that were desperate for an Interstate 8 Conference win. With players diving all over the floor and both teams exchanging momentum, late-game execution would ultimately decide the victor.

Motivated to snap a five-game losing streak, Rochelle led by as many as 12 points during the second half. The Hubs overcame a dominant first-half effort from Morris guard A.J. Zweeres, who scored a game-high 32 points with 27 coming over the first two quarters, but missed shots and crucial turnovers allowed the Redskins to rally back during the fourth quarter, where they outscored Rochelle 27-15 and held on long enough to hand the Hubs a 75-72 defeat.

“It was a great atmosphere tonight,” head coach Tim Thompson said. “I feel for our kids. They’re desperate for a win and we haven’t had one since our first game. We’ve played some good teams and our kids are still feeling themselves out. They’re young and they’re trying to figure out how to win games. Once they do, I think good things will happen and I think we’re becoming more connected. We can’t win games until we get there, but we’re starting to get there.”

Junior Carson Lewis scored the first points of the evening, draining a 3-pointer from the corner near the beginning of the opening quarter. Lewis finished with a team-high 21 points and sank a team-best six triples for the Hubs, who remained tied with Morris 17-17 after the first quarter. Rochelle kept pace with the Redskins in the second quarter, entering the locker room down 35-32 behind strong defensive efforts from players like senior guard Eli Luxton, who grabbed four steals and blocked four shots to go along with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double Friday.

“I’m really proud of Carson and I was happy to see him knock down shots tonight,” Thompson said. “He’s been searching for those shots this year and we’ve always known that he’s a really good shooter. Other teams know that he’s a good shooter, though, so he’ll have to use shot fakes and he’ll have to move into different areas and score in different ways rather than staying out at the 3-point line. I was happy to see him get going and I think he’ll continue to get going.”

The third quarter saw Rochelle retake control of the game, with players like junior guard Elijah Harley showing toughness on the boards and in the interior. Harley finished with 16 points and seven rebounds on Friday, overcoming multiple hard fouls to sink four free throws in the game. Harley had five offensive rebounds for the Hubs, who went ahead 57-48 after three quarters.

“I’ve been encouraging Elijah because I think he’s one of the best athletes in the school and I think his potential is to be a three-sport, All-Conference athlete,” Thompson said. “I’m holding him to that standard and I think he’s taken on a reserved role in some aspects, but we’ve talked about where he can feel himself and where he can get going is around the rim. He’s been really good around the rim and he’s shooting free throws well. He’s also becoming more physical.”

While Rochelle outscored Morris 17-14 in points off turnovers and 34-26 on points in the paint, the Redskins fought back with a flurry of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, bringing the Hubs within single digits before ultimately taking the lead late in the quarter. Morris forward Jack Wheeler sank a pair of key shots late in the game, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds to help the Redskins seal the win. Rochelle (1-6, 0-3 Interstate 8) will attempt to snap its losing skid on the road Wednesday evening, when the Hubs are scheduled to face Genoa-Kingston.